International House Berkeley

continued for over forty years and have encircled the globe. The experience of living at International House influenced many in the way they have lived their lives and viewed the world. The Late '50s n June, 1957, the Berkeley House became the focus of a feature article in Holiday, then a well-known national magazine. Written by an Armenian who had visited I-House, the article captures the magic and warmth of international living at the time: In the evening I would take my tray to one of the regional tables in the dining room and practice French or German or Spanish. And after dinner, there was always some interesting activity that increased my knowledge of the culture and thinking of other peoples. One night, Scandinavian students put on their school caps and I sang with them a gay drinking song of Uppsala. Another evening, I watched Japanese perform their coal-miners' dance, then do a hilarious skit about their family mores. On still another I listened to a debate between Americans and representatives of the British Commonwealth: 'Resolved, That the United States be allowed to rejoin the Empire,' with Americans upholding the affirmative and Commonwealth students the negative. The latter insisted that any country which uses tea bags cannot possibly to considered for admission to the Commonwealth. With the nostalgic feeling of being one of them, I mixed with the foreign students. Bengu Oskay, a Turkish girl, sometimes poured my coffee or tea. 'Sabahiniz hayir olsum' 'May your morning be felicitous,' I would greet her. 'Allaha ismarladik,' 'I leave you to God,' she would say when I left the dining room, or when we parted after a chat in the Great Hall. I came to America from Istanbul, where she was born; she had lived in my home town, Trebizond. I had never talked with a Turkish girl I Formation of the International House I-House ski trip, 1941 Association he successes of the Rockefeller-funded I-Houses in New York, Berkeley, Chicago and Paris produced enthusiastic alumni who began to form groups around the world. November 10, the International House of New York's anniversary day, had become International House Day, an annual occasion for alumni of the Houses to gather in cities such as Stockholm, Oslo, Mexico City, Peking, Port-au-Prince and Copenhagen. By 1947, these alumni groups had become part of a large umbrella organization, the International House Association. Berkeley executive director emeritus W. Sheridan Warrick describes the activities of the Association: Founded under leadership that included David Rockefeller, the IHA sought to work toward the brotherhood of man by gaining better knowledge and understanding of the life and culture of all people and to cooperate with the International Houses and other organizations devoted to international understanding and world peace. By 1952, the IHA claimed forty-four chapters in twenty-seven countries. Although IHA chapters around the world continued to be active for some years, escalating costs forced the central organization to terminate its activities in 1961. T 7

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